THE MEDIA BUSINESS

THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Yet Another Afternoon Daily Plans to Close

Published: August 3, 1992

TULSA, Okla., Aug. 2—
The Tulsa Tribune plans to dissolve its joint operating agreement with The Tulsa World and publish its final issue on Sept. 30.

The Tribune is the latest afternoon newspaper to announce that it is closing. In the last year, afternoon dailies in Richmond, San Diego and other cities have closed as changing reading habits and competition from television newscasts have cut drastically into their circulations. On Friday, The Spokane Chronicle in Washington published its last issue.

The Tribune and The World, a morning paper, have shared advertising, printing and circulation departments through the Newspaper Printing Corporation since 1941. The arrangement was due to expire in 1996.

Howard Barnett Jr., president of The Tribune, said Friday that the paper had fallen prey to the national trend toward morning newspapers. The Tribune has an average daily circulation of 67,000 and employs 100 people in its news department.

In exchange for ending the joint operating agreement, the World Publishing Company will pay The Tulsa Tribune Company $11.5 million immediately and $450,000 a month for the next 41 months, or a total of nearly $30 million. The World will retain the presses and other assets. The World's average circulation is 128,000 daily and 238,000 on Sundays.

"I want this newspaper to be missed, very much missed," Jenkin L. Jones Sr., publisher emeritus of The Tribune, said at a meeting of the newspaper's employees on Friday.

Richard Lloyd Jones Sr. bought The Tulsa Democrat in 1919 and changed the name to The Tulsa Tribune. He died in 1963, leaving control of the paper to his two sons, Richard Jones Jr., who was the business manager, and Jenkin L. Jones, who was in charge of news and editorial.

Jenkin Jones retired as publisher in November but continues to write a conservative syndicated column. His son, Jenk Jones Jr., became editor and publisher. Another son, David Jones, is a columnist. Closing in Spokane

In Washington, The Spokane Chronicle ceased publication Friday after 106 years as an afternoon daily. The Chronicle's circulation, more than 70,000 in 1966, recently shrank to less than 20,000.

Meanwhile, the circulation of the morning Spokesman-Review has risen in the last decade to more than 101,000 from about 77,500. Both papers are owned by the Cowles Publishing Company.